NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 1/21/19

James Harden has been insanely hot, but his salary is through the roof. Is it worth paying up for him on today's slate?

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes hugely on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a ton of other great resources to help give you an edge.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each price point.

Let's take a look at who you should target on today's main slate.

Best of the Best

James Harden ($14,000): Obviously, a $14,000 salary is a lot to swallow, but Harden has really proven himself worthy recently. We've also got some solid value on this slate, making it easier to fit him in your lineup. At least 74.8 fantasy points in five straight games really speaks for itself, and Harden has kept up this absurd fantasy run for long enough that it's no longer just a quick hot streak. In the last 19 games, he has yet to post fewer than 53.4 FanDuel points in a single outing, which is a mark only three other players are even averaging more than on the season. Those 19 games include more than twice as many outings with at least 70 FanDuel points (9) than with fewer than 60 (4), and Harden is averaging 68.1 per game in that stretch. The Philadelphia 76ers don't make for a soft matchup, but as Harden showed with a 74.8-fantasy-point (and 57 real-world point) performance against the Memphis Grizzlies three games ago, a tough matchup isn't enough of a reason to fade him at this point.

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